TWENTY-five years on, estranged childhood sweethearts are still going strong.

Tyldesley duo Michael Hampson and Sharon Thompson first met when he was 15 and she was just 13. They became an item, but their parents stopped them seeing each other.

They thought Sharon, a Fred Longworth pupil at the time, would not be able to cope with Michael's blindness. The lovebirds were forced apart and it wasn't until four months ago that fate reunited them.

After 23 years of separation the heartbroken pair never stopped thinking about each other and when Michael's friend almost ran over Sharon it was the start of an amazing reunion for the forbidden lovers.

Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary since the pair originally met and, although they have spent 24 of those years apart, they have spent their last few months catching up on all the time they missed.

Sharon, 37, and Michael, now engaged and planning to marry next March on the Scottish Isle of Arran, look forward to another 25 years together.